Jellyfin - Media Server Management

Jellyfin - Media Server Management

Overview

The jellyfin command manages Jellyfin media server instances using Podman Quadlet containers. It supports hardware transcoding and FUSE filesystem compatibility for network mounts.

Key Concept: Multi-instance support allows running multiple media libraries. FUSE compatibility enables rclone/​sshfs mounts for cloud or remote storage.

Quick Reference

Configuration

Parameters

Configuration Examples

# Basic installation (long form)
ujust jellyfin config --config-dir=~/​jellyfin/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin/​cache --media-dir=~/​media

# With NVIDIA GPU for transcoding
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​jellyfin/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin/​cache --media-dir=~/​media --gpu-type=nvidia

# Second instance for different library
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​jellyfin2/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin2/​cache --media-dir=~/​videos --instance=2

# With short forms
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​config --cache-dir=~/​cache --media-dir=~/​media -n 1 -g nvidia

Update Existing Configuration

Running config when already configured will update the existing configuration, preserving values not explicitly changed.

Shell Access

# Interactive bash shell
ujust jellyfin shell

# Run specific command (use -- separator)
ujust jellyfin shell -- df -h

# Shell in specific instance
ujust jellyfin shell --instance=2 -- ls /​media

Lifecycle Commands

Start/​Stop

# Single instance
ujust jellyfin start --instance=1
ujust jellyfin stop --instance=1

# Short form
ujust jellyfin start -n 1
ujust jellyfin stop -n 1

# All instances
ujust jellyfin start --instance=all
ujust jellyfin stop --instance=all

View Logs

# Follow logs
ujust jellyfin logs

# Specific instance with line count
ujust jellyfin logs --instance=1 --lines=100

# Short form
ujust jellyfin logs -n 1 -l 100

Get URL

ujust jellyfin url
# Output: http://localhost:8096

# Specific instance
ujust jellyfin url --instance=2

Port Allocation

Hardware Transcoding

GPU Types

Enable GPU

ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​config --cache-dir=~/​cache --media-dir=~/​media --gpu-type=nvidia

Verify GPU

# Check inside container
ujust jellyfin shell -- nvidia-smi  # or vainfo for AMD/​Intel

FUSE Filesystem Support

Jellyfin containers support FUSE mounts (rclone, sshfs) for remote storage.

Mount Before Starting

# Mount cloud storage
rclone mount gdrive:media ~/​media --daemon

# Then start Jellyfin
ujust jellyfin start 1

Why Host Networking?

Jellyfin uses host networking for:

• DLNA discovery
• mDNS/​Bonjour
• Chromecast

Configuration Files

Common Workflows

Initial Setup

# 1. Create directories
mkdir -p ~/​jellyfin/​{config,cache}

# 2. Configure Jellyfin
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​jellyfin/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin/​cache --media-dir=~/​media --gpu-type=nvidia

# 3. Start it
ujust jellyfin start

# 4. Access web UI
ujust jellyfin url
# Open http://localhost:8096

Multiple Libraries

# Movies library
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​jellyfin-movies/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin-movies/​cache --media-dir=~/​movies -n 1

# TV library
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​jellyfin-tv/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin-tv/​cache --media-dir=~/​tv -n 2

# Start both
ujust jellyfin start --instance=all

Cloud Storage

# 1. Mount cloud storage
rclone mount gdrive:media ~/​cloud-media --daemon --vfs-cache-mode writes

# 2. Configure Jellyfin pointing to mount
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​jellyfin/​config --cache-dir=~/​jellyfin/​cache --media-dir=~/​cloud-media

# 3. Start
ujust jellyfin start

Initial Configuration

First-time setup via web UI:

1. Open http://localhost:8096
2. Create admin user
3. Add media libraries
4. Configure transcoding (if GPU)
5. Set up remote access

Troubleshooting

Jellyfin Won't Start

Check:

ujust jellyfin status
ujust jellyfin logs --lines=50

Common causes:

• Port conflict (8096 in use)
• Invalid paths
• GPU driver issues

Transcoding Fails

Check:

# View logs for transcoding errors
ujust jellyfin logs | grep -i transcode

Common causes:

• GPU not passed through
• Missing codec support

Fix:

# Reconfigure with GPU
ujust jellyfin delete
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​config --cache-dir=~/​cache --media-dir=~/​media --gpu-type=nvidia

Media Not Found

Check:

• Media directory exists
• Correct path in config
• Permissions

Fix:

# Verify path
ls ~/​media

# Reconfigure with correct path
ujust jellyfin delete
ujust jellyfin config -c ~/​config --cache-dir=~/​cache --media-dir=/​correct/​path

DLNA Not Working

Cause: Network isolation

Jellyfin uses host networking, but ensure:

• Firewall allows mDNS (5353/​udp)
• Same network as clients

Cross-References

• Related Skills: configure gpu (GPU setup)
• Jellyfin Docs: https://jellyfin.org/docs/
• Web UI: http://localhost:8096

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user asks about:

• "install jellyfin", "setup media server"
• "jellyfin not working", "jellyfin transcoding"
• "jellyfin GPU", "hardware transcoding"
• "multiple jellyfin", "jellyfin instances"